SUNY Plattsburgh to Recognize Nearly 900 Grads During Spring 2023 Commencement

Nearly 900 SUNY Plattsburgh students are eligible to walk at spring commencement being held in three separate ceremonies at the Field House Saturday, May 20 beginning with the School of Education, Health and Human Service grads at 9 a.m.

Graduates from the School of Business and Economics will walk at noon while students in the School of Arts and Sciences will walk at the ceremony starting at 3 p.m.

Student speakers Saran Kaba, communication sciences and disorders major from Guinea, West Africa, and the Bronx, Pilar Balader Herrero, a marketing and art dual major from Las Palmas, Spain, and Malika Saleem, a biomedical sciences major from Port Henry, N.Y., will address their classmates at the 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. ceremonies, respectively.

Kaba, who holds a minor in psychology, has lived a life of service at SUNY Plattsburgh and beyond, working as a summer tutor counselor with the Educational Opportunity Program and as an AmeriCorp Program counselor at Camp DREAM. In addition, she has served as vice president and senator with the Student Association and president of the Muslim Student Association and secretary of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association Plattsburgh Chapter.

The Honor’s Program student is the recipient of several awards, including the Lynne White Scheider Scholarship, James Augustus Wilson Scholarship, Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for EOP Student Excellence, and an Applied Learning Grant. She plans to attend SUNY Plattsburgh in the fall for her master’s degree in communication science and disorders.

Herrero, who was born in Gran Canaria, a small Spanish island off the coast of Morocco, has been active on campus with the SUNY Plattsburgh chapter of the American Marketing Association, serving first as its chief marketing officer and then its president. In addition, she is the coordinator of arts for the Student Association, serving as chair of the Arts Acquisition Board where she managed a $10,000 budget for SA art purchases, and served as marketing student representative of the School of Business and Economics.

Herrero plans to attend grad school and become a graphic designer following commencement.

Saleem who minored in chemistry, has served as public relations officer for the Pre-Med/Pre-Health Association, is a founding member of LST, a peer mentor for the Honors Program, and has partnered with Dr. Nana Ankrah, assistant professor in biological sciences, for independent research.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Sudds and Munk Outstanding Senior Award, Philip Walker Undergraduate Research Award in Biology, the Dr. Robert A. Casero Jr. Scholarship, Redcay Honors Scholarship, the Applied Learning Grant for Research, and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, among other honors.

Saleem plans to attend optometry school after graduation.

During commencement, in addition to a welcome from President Alexander Enyedi and conferring of degrees, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Bagpipe Band will be on hand to lead faculty and distinguished platform guests to and from the gymnasium, performing the traditional and regal “Scotland the Brave” and “The Rowan Tree.”

Carrying the ceremonial mace, an honor bestowed upon senior members of the faculty and staff, will be Jackie Vogl, director and associate vice president of global education, at the 9 a.m. and Dr. Mohamed Gaber, distinguished service professor of accounting, at both the noon and 3 p.m. ceremonies.

Speaking on behalf of the Plattsburgh Alumni Association will be Matthew Veitch '94, association first vice president, who will welcome the new graduates into the fold.

All three ceremonies will be accessible via livestream the day of commencement at: https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/commencement/livestream.html.

— Photos, Story by Associate Director of Communication Gerianne Downs